How long to keep fish in potassium permanganate. How to disinfect an aquarium. Malachite green is the optimal solution for the most difficult cases

Suddenly the fish in the aquarium began to become covered with small white specks? And every day there are more and more of them?

Unfortunately, the fish became infected with an infectious disease called ichthyophthyriosis.

People call this disease “semolina” because the white bumps on the body of the fish resemble semolina. If you do not start timely and correct treatment, then the population in the aquarium doomed to death.

SYMPTOMS

The very first and main symptom of the disease is the appearance of small (semolina-sized or smaller) white grains on the body of the fish. The disease begins from one or two points and progresses day by day.

Ichthyophthyriosis is a disease caused by the ciliate Ichthyophthririus. When it enters the aquarium, the ciliate attaches to the fish, penetrates the skin, forming white tubercles similar to semolina or salt.

Often the color of a sick fish fades, and a barely noticeable coating appears on the body. Death of fish occurs due to oxygen starvation and extensive damage to the skin epithelium.

Semolina can affect absolutely all types of aquarium fish. Viviparous fish are considered more susceptible to this disease.

Video: fish diseases

Causes

There may be several factors that provoke the disease:

Soil contamination. It should be remembered that the aquarium must be cleaned regularly, the soil must be thoroughly siphoned off, the filter must be washed, and plaque must be removed from the walls.
Buying sick fish. When purchasing, you should carefully examine the fish for the absence of mucus, tubercles, etc. on its body. Many aquarists prefer to quarantine new fish. A container of 3 liters or more, without soil, with good aeration, lighting and artificial plants, is suitable as a quarantine aquarium. Isolation of fish passes from two to four weeks. If signs of disease are detected, appropriate treatment is carried out.
Water too cold. Temperature changes can cause illness.
Getting contaminated food or water into the aquarium, plants or other objects. It is important to treat objects placed in the aquarium to prevent infection carriers from entering the water.
Severe stress. This condition can occur in fish during active cleaning of the aquarium or when moving.

TREATMENT

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You can treat fish both in a general aquarium and in a separate one. If there are no fish in the aquarium, the spreaders of the disease die within 2-3 days. Therefore, when treating fish in a separate place, they can be safely returned to their permanent habitat within a week - the source of the disease will no longer be present.

Treatment for fever

Salt treatment

For 30 liters of water, take one heaped tablespoon of salt. The temperature in the aquarium rises to +30-32 C. Aeration should work around the clock at full capacity. Thanks to these actions, the oxygen content in the water decreases, and the high temperature prevents ciliates from developing. The course of treatment is two weeks. Then, for a month, one third of the water is changed every week.

Treatment with furatsilin

Furacilin is an antimicrobial agent, sold in any pharmacy in the form of tablets and ointments. To treat semolina, one tablet of 0.02 grams is diluted in 30-40 liters of water. The tablet should be soaked for 15 minutes in warm water to dissolve. Every other day you need to change 20% of the water volume and add half the dose again. This treatment brings positive results in 4-6 days.

Treatment with hydrogen peroxide

A pharmacy 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide can also help in the fight against this fish disease. 1 ml of the drug is poured into 10 liters of water twice a day. Peroxide saturates the water with oxygen and makes it easier for fish to breathe. But you can’t pour the medicine straight into the aquarium - you can burn your fins passing fish.

Treatment with Antipar

The composition contains the substance “malachite green” and formaldehyde.

The drug is added to the aquarium at the rate of 1 ml per 50 liters of water every other day with a mandatory 30% water change.

Treatment with iodine

Two drops of iodine are added to 10 liters of water, but this treatment is especially effective in total with other medications (furacilin, Antipar).

Video: treatment

Treatment with potassium permanganate

Potassium permanganate or simply potassium permanganate gives good results for the treatment of semolina. Crystals of the drug are dissolved in a separate container at the rate of 5 g per 10 liters of water. The fish are treated every 12 hours for 15-20 minutes. A solution of potassium permanganate is an ideal remedy for aquarium disinfection, algae and soil. But we must remember that many fish are very sensitive to this drug.

Fish that have been infected with semolina become immune to this disease for up to six months.

Every aquarium fish lover can encounter the disease ichthyophthiriasis or semolina. Don’t panic; the most important thing is to start quick, effective treatment. And which method is suitable for this - everyone decides for himself. The most important thing is that the fish are alive and healthy!

Do not forget that an aquarium is a real home for fish. It, like a human home, needs cleaning. If a person can provide himself with frequent cleaning, then such a luxury is not available for fish, so it is the owner who must disinfect the aquarium and monitor the condition of his pets. Many people know about this, but not everyone knows how to disinfect an aquarium correctly.

Primary activities

The first disinfection of the aquarium occurs immediately after you purchase the tank. The future house for fish must undergo careful processing before the first inhabitants of flora and fauna appear there.

How to properly carry out primary disinfection:

Fill the aquarium with plain water.
Dilute the potassium permanganate solution to a dark color and pour it into an aquarium filled with tap water.
After this, leave it for a day. During this time, all pathogenic bacteria will die.
Drain off all the water and wipe the walls dry with a dry cloth.
Rinse it several times with clean running water.

The next step will be preparing the water to start a new aquarium. In order for free chlorine to leave the water, it is necessary to leave 100% of the water for at least 3 days. Then pour it in and wait a couple of days again. Only after this will the aqua be ready to accept its first inhabitants.

In order not to waste time, prepare the rest of the equipment and decor for your exclusive pond. Don’t forget, they also need to be thoroughly disinfected before they end up in the same water as fish. Particular attention is paid to the soil. It is most often used sea sand and pebbles collected in natural conditions. Of course, the substrate contains a huge variety of pathogenic bacteria that will poison the entire environment in the water. To overcome the negative consequences, you need to calcine the soil in the oven or in a large frying pan. It is necessary to expose the entire soil to maximum temperature for at least 20 minutes. For convenience, divide it into portions. Do not pour hot sand into the aquarium! Cool and rinse it thoroughly. One wash is not enough, it is better to repeat the procedure 3-4 times, only after that you can place it in the aquarium. You should not ignore this stage of the initial start-up of the aquarium.

Accessories are considered among the mandatory elements of the normal functioning of an artificial reservoir. Collect all decorative elements, excluding plastic options, and boil them thoroughly. Since heat treatment can cause plastic parts to melt, it is better to treat them with a dark solution of potassium permanganate.

On-line disinfection measures

If the aquarium is already functioning, but something bad happened and various bacteria and algae began to appear in it, then disinfection cannot be avoided. It is urgent to save plants and fish from there.

All fauna that was in the infected aquarium must be treated with an antibacterial solution. The most popular is a mixture of 10 mg penatsillin per 2 liters of water. Keep the plants in it for about 3 days. Don’t be afraid, nothing bad will happen to the plants during this time. The aquarium itself can be disinfected with a special bactericidal lamp every day for 20 minutes. Disinfection of the aquarium is necessary even if there are no visible problems. Preventative measures are the best way to maintain the health of fish and other inhabitants. The next disinfection begins with disinfecting treatment of all surfaces. The simplest means at hand are potassium permanganate and peroxide. Remove all the fish and decor from there, then fill it to the edge with 3% peroxide or a dark solution of potassium permanganate. Leave everything for 5-6 hours. After this, thoroughly rinse all surfaces and corners.

If you have neither the time nor the desire to wait that long, then you can use the express method. Buy a special solution at the pet store that is designed to disinfect all surfaces. Don't forget to wear gloves before working. If you have the opportunity to treat everything with formaldehyde, chloramine, hydrochloric acid, then use this option.

To disinfect plants, it is necessary to prepare a penicillin solution in a ratio of 10:2. Leave all the plants there for about three days.

The most common means:

Isopropane 70%;
Ethanol 70%;
Sidex;
N-propanol 60%.

You can wipe the plants with these products just once; this will be enough to kill the pathogenic sphere. These products are sold in pet pharmacies. The rest of the equipment should be boiled. To be sure, keep them in boiling water for at least 20 minutes. The more time they spend in boiling water, the less chance the bacteria have to survive. Please note that rubber, plastic and thermometers should never be boiled.

Choose the most convenient method for yourself and enjoy the view of a beautiful, healthy aquarium with happy fish.

The answer to this question also contains the answer to why, in each individual case, aquarists are looking for a new method of treatment, rather than using an already proven scheme. So, what is it? Treatment of this disease is complicated by the fact that it is only one component of a systemic bacterial infection. That is, it is not possible to identify a single pathogen. Several different species of bacteria are involved in the pathogenesis. In particular, experiments have shown that different fish with the same symptoms (fin rot) should receive different treatments. That is why a remedy that helped some turns out to be useless for others.

Main pathogens and symptoms of the disease

Aeromonas hydrophila and all its subspecies are one of the pathogens. It is a gram-negative anaerobic bacillus that is widely distributed in the environment, in fresh and salt water. The second large group of pathogens is Pseudomonas. It is an obligate aerobe, most often found in soil and spoiled food. It is these two groups of microorganisms that cause a disease called “fin rot”. Treatment requires a quick and accurate diagnosis, which usually does not cause problems. The symptoms are obvious enough that even a beginner can recognize them.

First of all, systemic infection leads to the destruction of the body and internal organs. Hemorrhages and necrosis, sepsis, and grayish ulcers on the surface of the body are noted. The fish loses color, fins stick together and erode, and scales become ruffled.

Disease prevention

The later you notice changes, the more damage fin rot can cause. Treatment in a community aquarium is much more effective if it begins at the very first stages of the disease. In any case, the disease is much easier to prevent than to treat. This is a consequence of poor fish immunity in this case decreases, and the concentration of pathogenic microflora becomes higher and higher, which ultimately leads to an outbreak of infection. Prevention is compliance with sanitary standards and requirements for keeping fish. Make sure that there is no excess food in the aquarium, which will rot. There is no vaccine against this disease, but antibiotic therapy is very effective.

Treatment

There are actually two options available. These are medicinal baths where sick fish are placed, as well as the addition of medicine to the general water area. Which method is more effective to completely forget about a disease such as fin rot? Treatment in a community aquarium is considered more effective, since you simultaneously disinfect the soil, plants, and all other contents of the tank, which can become a source of re-propagation of the infection. Therefore, today we will talk about these types of treatment methods.

When did you notice the first symptoms?

The result will be much more effective if you have already noticed the first symptoms of a terrible disease called “fin rot”. Treatment in a community aquarium with salt can only help now. If you neglect the situation, more serious means will be required.

First of all, do a good water change, at least 30%, and set the maximum temperature acceptable for the breed of fish that live in your aquarium. If there are individual individuals that cannot tolerate such changes, they are placed in a separate container. An effective remedy at first is to add regular, non-iodized salt to the water. The norm for sensitive fish is two teaspoons per 10 liters of water, and if the fish can easily tolerate salt, you can add 3 teaspoons to the same amount of water. Keep an eye on your pets. If after a few days the situation has not improved, do a 50-80% water change and begin drug treatment.

Ordinary potassium permanganate will help you

Potassium permanganate is used to disinfect water areas in the treatment of many bacterial infections, including fin rot. Treatment in a general aquarium (the photo of water colored with potassium permanganate looks quite original) is only possible with a subsequent change of water. In this case, it would be much better to place the fish in a separate vessel, where you add 0.5 g per 10 liters of water. The fish are placed in the solution every two hours for 20 minutes. While treatment is ongoing, it is very good to add potassium permanganate to the general aquarium in order to destroy the causative agent of the disease on plants and soil.

Malachite green is the optimal solution for the most difficult cases

Malachite green oxalate is toxic, but helps to effectively cope with this disease. Perfect for treating viviparous, labyrinth fish, neons and barbs, and various ornamental crucians. But for other fish it is used with caution, so consult a professional who knows well what fin rot is. Treatment in a general aquarium takes place at a temperature of +24...+28 degrees. During the entire course it is necessary to aerate the water well. 10 mg/100 l is added to the water. Doses are repeated after 7 days. The treatment itself can last more than a month.

Familiar antibiotics

Simple and inexpensive remedies can help you cope with ailments such as fin rot. Treatment with chloramphenicol in a community aquarium is recommended not only by amateur aquarists, but also by veterinarians. This drug is almost always in your home medicine cabinet. The tablets do not dissolve well in water, so you need to put them in a glass and stir well, and then add them to the aquarium. Dosage - 200 mg per liter. The solution is poured and left for 5 days. When this period ends, it is necessary to begin a partial water change.

Specialized drugs from veterinary pharmacy

What is the most famous product that every aquarist should have? Here's a hint: with its help, you can instantly get rid of a bacterial disease called fin rot. Anti-steam treatment is the most modern way to protect all inhabitants of the water area. It is noteworthy that it can be used for prevention. If you bought new live food, soak it in a weak solution for a few minutes before feeding. Also, for preventive purposes, therapeutic baths are carried out. - 1 ml per 10 liters of water, exposure time 3 hours. In such a bath you can keep new residents who came to you from the store, algae and soil.

If signs of the disease are already present, everything can be corrected. In this case, all lighting devices and filters are turned off. The temperature is maintained at 24-26 degrees. The working solution is added every four days. Therapeutic concentration for long-term baths is 1 ml per 50 liters of water. Decontaminate the solution by passing it through This is an indispensable tool that will help in almost any case. So if you buy an aquarium, just in case, stock up on such a universal medicine. Judging by the reviews, it can help out in cases where the symptoms of the disease develop rapidly and time is against you.

Primary activities

How to properly carry out primary disinfection:

Fill the aquarium with plain water.
Dilute the potassium permanganate solution to a dark color and pour it into an aquarium filled with tap water.
After this, leave it for a day. During this time, all pathogenic bacteria will die.
Drain off all the water and wipe the walls dry with a dry cloth.
Rinse it several times with clean running water.

Disinfection of an aquarium is a necessary measure that aquarists have to take in order to protect pets and plants from death. The need to disinfect the water and elements in the aquarium arises after the manifestation of infectious viruses and microorganisms in the reservoir, as well as after the death of pets. However, not all owners of artificial reservoirs know how to disinfect an aquarium correctly so as not to harm the inhabitants of the aquarium.

In what cases is disinfection necessary?

Disinfection of an aquarium is carried out in two cases:

During the initial launch of a new artificial reservoir.
Disinfection of an existing reservoir with disinfectants when infectious diseases are detected.

When starting up the tank for the first time, disinfection is necessary in order to destroy possible contaminants, bacteria, microbes and other viruses, which can subsequently lead to dire consequences and even the death of pets, so it is necessary to treat the aquarium immediately after purchase. An existing aquarium is disinfected if contagious fish diseases or harmful algae have been identified, for example, with ichthyphothyrius, blackbeard or blue-green algae. In these cases, disinfecting the aquarium will not only destroy the remains of bacteria and viruses, but will also help the owner treat their pets.

Primary disinfection of the aquarium

Primary disinfection of the aquarium is carried out before planting plants and laying out soil in order to protect vegetation and fish from possible infections that get inside the tank upon purchase. It is necessary to treat not only the container, but also the soil, as well as the stones for the aquarium. Disinfection of the plant before planting is also required. The primary disinfection procedure can be easily performed at home and will take 72 hours.

To disinfect a pond with potassium permanganate, you must perform the following steps:

The container is filled with ordinary tap water.
Prepare a solution by mixing water with potassium permanganate until the liquid acquires a dark tint.
The solution is poured into the tank and left for a day.
After a day, all the liquid from the container is drained, the container is rinsed and wiped dry with a clean cloth.
The procedure is repeated two more times.

Soil and plant treatment

Successful cultivation of plants in a pond depends on the quality of the soil, so before laying out the substrate must undergo a disinfection period. To process, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the soil, let it dry and calcine the substrate in an oven for 15 minutes at a temperature of 100C. The finished soil is allowed to cool at room temperature and placed in a tank.

New plants are disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, putting aquatic flowers there for 15–20 minutes. The main thing is not to overdo it with potassium permanganate, otherwise there is a risk of burning the tender leaves.

Scenery processing

Decorations made of wood, stone or metal, and stones for the aquarium are disinfected by boiling in boiling water for 15–20 minutes - this time is enough to destroy possible harmful bacteria and viruses that can harm the fish. Decorative elements made of plastic cannot be boiled, so a solution of potassium permanganate is used for bactericidal treatment.

Disinfection of an existing aquarium

An existing artificial pond with fish is treated with antibacterial substances. To make the tank disinfected, a solution with penicillin (10 mg/2 l) is used, and the procedure itself takes 72 hours. There is no need to worry about the flora: aquarium plants will not die. If a fish suddenly dies in the tank, the treatment is carried out using a bactericidal lamp, turning on the device for 15 minutes for three days in a row.

Effective disinfection methods

The most effective and popular methods of treating an existing tank are:

Disinfection with boiling water - when using this method, all harmful algae, bacterial colonies and infections are guaranteed to die. The temperature should be increased gradually so that the glass of the container does not crack. The method is only suitable for seamless reservoirs or with persistent glue, otherwise leaks and damage to the container are possible.
Potent antibacterial agents are used in case of fish infection with dangerous infectious diseases - the tanks are disinfected with a powerful cleaning agent or chlorine-containing agent. You cannot use white in this case! After the tank has been treated, rinse the container with water several times.
Hydrogen peroxide will help disinfect the pond as a preventative measure. The effect of the product is not as strong and powerful as the previous method, but hydrogen peroxide is the most careful and safe to use. However, after using peroxide, the container should be rinsed.
A mixture of table salt and thick water will also help disinfect the pond. After mixing salt and water, the resulting slurry is applied to the corners and seams of the tank, then the container is filled with liquid and left for two hours. After treatment, the liquid is drained and the tank is thoroughly washed, since salt is very dangerous for many phenotypes.
Methylene blue is one of the most popular drugs. It is safe for fish, so when treating an aquarium with blue, pets do not need to be resettled from the reservoir. Blue is added to the liquid in a ratio of 2 mg/10 l. The disadvantage of using this method is that methylene blue turns the water blue.
An ultraviolet lamp is another fish-safe way to disinfect a tank. A lamp with ultraviolet radiation can be used as an independent method, and in combination with the above methods.

Disinfecting an aquarium is a simple and effective way to ensure the destruction of dirt, bacterial colonies and algae that harm fish, plants and shellfish. When disinfecting the tank, you should follow the general rules and instructions on the packaging of antibacterial agents in order to upset the ecological balance and not harm your pets.

Video about disinfecting an aquarium

However, its effectiveness is fully demonstrated only if the rules for its use are observed.

Disadvantages include restrictions regarding application to certain types of fish that do not tolerate increased concentrations of sodium and chlorine ions. These include:

— Sumatran barbs, including varieties, which are colloquially called “mutants” by aquarists;

Salt treatment of juvenile labyrinths should be used very carefully (the maximum easily tolerated salt concentration is 1.5%).

For fish of the above species, the maximum salt concentration should not exceed 2-2.5% for a bath duration of ten minutes, but if the fish can withstand this time without problems, it is extended to fifteen minutes.

One method to overcome this disadvantage is to gradually add salt to the aquarium water. Start with ¼ teaspoon per ten liters and gradually increase the dosage to 2 tablespoons. The method is effective if it is used in nursery aquariums. However, this method ultimately has a drawback - the fish get used to salted water and are no longer able to live in ordinary freshwater aquariums.

Another disadvantage is the intolerance of higher concentrations of sodium and chlorine ions by higher aquatic plants. Lower algae are resistant to increased concentrations of these ions; as a result, an outbreak of increased growth of these algae may begin in the aquarium.

Salt treatment should also not be used in aquarium water with a high nitrate content.

Therapeutic baths with solutions of high salt concentration are successfully used in the treatment of diseases such as:

The minimum time for using baths with saline solution to destroy the pathogens of the diseases listed above is 10 minutes, and the higher the proportion, the more effective the treatment. But for aquarium fish, the practical limit for the concentration of the saline solution is in the range of 4% -5%. Therefore, choose a concentration of 2% and increase the treatment time to ten to fifteen minutes.

The time of treatment in solutions with a concentration of about 2% within the specified time interval is best selected experimentally. Start by checking the time interval of ten minutes. For the first time, a low-value fish is bathed in the bath, carefully monitoring its behavior. If the fish do not show symptoms of intolerance (they do not try to jump out, there is no increased breathing with convulsive bouncing of the fins, when they rise to the surface they turn over on their side, cannot sink to the bottom, increased secretion of mucus begins), the time is extended to fifteen minutes. If during this time no symptoms of intolerance appear, increase the concentration (optimally - reaching a threshold of 4%).

To prepare a medicinal solution, you can use any, including iodized one. If you don’t have accurate scales, you can use the traditional method of determining weight using kitchen utensils. For the proportion of a 2% solution per 1 liter of water, you will need 2 teaspoons with a small hill of salt. The solution is stirred until the salt is completely dissolved.

The bath treatment method is as follows. Two outpatient tanks are being prepared. The prepared solution for treatment is poured into the first one, powerful aeration is installed (it must be arranged so that the fish is not captured by the emerging current) and the temperature is equalized with that maintained in the aquarium with the fish to be treated (the temperature difference of 2˚C is not allowed to be exceeded) .

Naturally, higher dosages of salt are more effective, but in cases of starting treatment for severe forms of advanced lesions, the weakened body of the fish may not be able to withstand the treatment. In such cases, treatment begins with bathing in a 1.5% salt solution and increases the concentration on the second day, an even more concentrated solution on the third day, and so on until the optimal concentration is reached (from 2% to 4%).

The difference between the pH of the water in the aquarium with fish and in the treatment bath and in the rinsing bath should not exceed more than 0.2 units (in either direction). The temperature of the water in the rinsing bath should not differ from the temperature in the treatment bath.

In cases where emergency assistance is necessary, you can boil ordinary tap water, wait until it cools down to the temperature in the aquarium, and install powerful aeration as soon as the temperature conditions for the equipment allow it. You need to aerate for at least half an hour.

When using salt as a medicine, the effectiveness will increase if potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) is added to the solution for medicinal baths. Permanganate (potassium permanganate) is added until the solution becomes raspberry-colored.

For complete treatment with salt baths, you need to carry out at least three baths at daily intervals.

Table salt is also used to create long-term baths for treatment. Such baths can be used in quarantine tanks, in nursery aquariums - that is, in aquariums without decoration with higher aquatic plants. Such treatment or prevention is carried out with solutions of concentration at the rate of one and a half grams of salt per liter of water. The duration of detention in such a solution ranges from several days to two weeks. If you keep fish in such a solution for more than the specified time, then disorders of independent osmoregulation may occur. Returns to normal conditions are carried out by changing 10% of the water daily - the process is continued until the salt content reaches zero. Such long-term baths are well tolerated by livebearers, spawning carp, cichlids, and varieties of goldfish.

Disinfection of an aquarium is carried out in two cases:

During the initial launch of a new artificial reservoir.
Disinfection of an existing reservoir with disinfectants when infectious diseases are detected.

Effective disinfection methods

The most effective and popular methods of treating an existing tank are:

Disinfection with boiling water - when using this method, all harmful algae, bacterial colonies and infections are guaranteed to die. The temperature should be increased gradually so that the glass of the container does not crack. The method is only suitable for seamless reservoirs or with persistent glue, otherwise leaks and damage to the container are possible.
Potent antibacterial agents are used in case of fish infection with dangerous infectious diseases - the tanks are disinfected with a powerful cleaning agent or chlorine-containing agent. You cannot use white in this case! After the tank has been treated, rinse the container with water several times.
Hydrogen peroxide will help disinfect the pond as a preventative measure. The effect of the product is not as strong and powerful as the previous method, but hydrogen peroxide is the most careful and safe to use. However, after using peroxide, the container should be rinsed.
A mixture of table salt and thick water will also help disinfect the pond. After mixing salt and water, the resulting slurry is applied to the corners and seams of the tank, then the container is filled with liquid and left for two hours. After treatment, the liquid is drained and the tank is thoroughly washed, since salt is very dangerous for many phenotypes.
Methylene blue is one of the most popular drugs. It is safe for fish, so when treating an aquarium with blue, pets do not need to be resettled from the reservoir. Blue is added to the liquid in a ratio of 2 mg/10 l. The disadvantage of using this method is that methylene blue turns the water blue.
An ultraviolet lamp is another fish-safe way to disinfect a tank. A lamp with ultraviolet radiation can be used as an independent method, and in combination with the above methods.